For angel investors

De-risk your investment before or after you write the check.

Funded by the angel. Delivered for the founder. One full day per week of embedded advisory — $1,500/month, with a 30-day walk-away clause.

Book a 30-minute call → No pitch. I’ll ask about your portfolio and explain if — and when — this fits.

When to call

Three moments where an embedded, angel-funded advisor is the right move.

Before the next sprint

The founder is busy, not effective

Updates sound the same week after week — “swamped, heads-down, working on it.” But the work isn’t compounding. They’re using AI in scattered ways, with no system that turns it into reclaimed hours. Before you fund another sprint, fund the leverage.

One full day a week back: the budget that funds Discovery or Revenue Sprint — without writing a second check.

Before or just after the check

De-risk before you write the check

You’re about to invest — or you just did. Get an independent read on whether the founder has actually validated the problem and the customer, before the Valley of Death.

Validated across angel interviews: the strongest preference is for engagement before the check, not after. As one experienced angel put it: “The very best point is right before they make the investment, at the due diligence stage. You come in as the insurance policy.”

When something’s wrong

The updates have gone quiet

Revenue commitments are slipping. Updates are vague. You sense something before you can name it — and experience says you’re usually right. A structured diagnostic is the right first move — not a confrontation.

Validated across 28 interviews: transparency going dark is the earliest reliable signal of trouble.

See the full trigger breakdown & validated findings

What I actually do

Three sprints. Same price. Same exit clause. Pick the one that fits the founder — or start with a free diagnostic.

Sprint 1 · ~45 days · Foundation

AI Autopilot Sprint OS™

For founders who are busy, not effective — and need leverage before any other sprint.

When it fits: the founder is using AI in scattered ways without a system that turns it into reclaimed hours. Fund the leverage before any other sprint.

They walk away with: three Claude Projects in daily use, 3+ Cowork agents running weekly loops, and one full day a week the founder can spend on what comes next.

Built on credentialed Anthropic methodology: four Anthropic Academy certifications in hand — AI Fluency, Intro to Claude Cowork, Claude 101, and Intro to Agent Skills — full path in progress.

$1,500/mo · ~one day a week · 30-day exit if one weekly cadence loop isn’t running end-to-end

Sprint 2 · ~60 days

Discovery Sprint OS™

For founders still figuring out who pays and why.

When it fits: the pitch says they know the customer. The data doesn’t back it up yet.

You walk away with: validated problem statement, evidence-backed ICP, and 2+ named revenue opportunities — or an honest redirect.

$1,500/mo · ~one day a week · 30-day exit if 3+ willingness-to-pay signals aren’t surfaced

Sprint 3 · ~90 days

Revenue Sprint OS™

For founders who know who buys but can’t close repeatably.

When it fits: product works, customer is clear, but no repeatable motion to generate revenue.

You walk away with: working pipeline in Close CRM, documented sales playbook, and first paid customer or signed LOI.

$1,500/mo · ~one day a week · 30-day exit if 2+ named opportunities aren’t identified

Free before paid: Every engagement starts with a Sprint Readiness Check — a structured diagnostic using the CHAIN™ framework, separately with you and the founder. No commitment, no pitch. If no sprint fits, I say so directly and recommend what does.

See the full 30/60/90 KPI cadence & sprint playbook

Why trust me

The angel-pays model requires a different kind of trust. Founders have worked with me when I wasn’t the one being chosen — and still say this.

Built trust fast

“Dan had a remarkable ability to put entrepreneurs at ease while drawing out their ideas… he took the time to ask questions and truly understand it — rather than brushing us aside as others had.”

Charlotte
Founder · SBDC

Taught a process

“He translates his experience into a repeatable process that founders can actually execute — not just theory, but clear steps that drive real customer conversations. He also isn’t afraid to tell you what you need to hear.”

Jeremy
Founder · Cal Poly CIE Accelerator

Changed direction

“Dan challenged my thinking early, pushing me to narrow my focus into something concrete I could test, execute, and iterate on quickly… that shift changed everything.”

Diana
Founder · Cal Poly CIE Accelerator

Three principles I work by

Founder-first, no hidden agenda

Funded by the angel, delivered for the founder. No equity ask. No upsell.

Honest redirects count as wins

If the sprint shouldn’t happen, I say so — and recommend what should.

Transparency goes both directions

You see what the founder sees: pipeline, forecast, findings. No surprises in either direction.

See the full Founder’s Bill of Rights & all testimonials

About Dan

I spent 25 years in product and engineering (five patents along the way — four at HP, one earlier and the most impactful), then co-founded BrightScope and grew it to 60+ employees before it was acquired in 2016. For the last twelve years I’ve been Entrepreneur in Residence at the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and I taught entrepreneurship at Cal Poly for five of them. I’m Pragmatic Institute Product Management Certified — the discipline behind most of what I install in the sprints. I’m also pursuing the full Anthropic Academy certification path — AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations, Introduction to Claude Cowork, Claude 101, and Introduction to Agent Skills already in hand, with two more underway — so the AI Autopilot Sprint OS™ is built on credentialed Anthropic methodology, not just opinion. Before starting Pismo Point, I did 28 research interviews with angel investors to build the playbook — the same discovery discipline I now install for founders is how I built the practice itself.

Years product & engineering

Pragmatic Product Management Certified

Years Cal Poly CIE EIR

Exit — BrightScope (2016)

Angel discovery interviews

Anthropic Academy Certification Path

Completed

AI Fluency: Framework & FoundationsAnthropic Academy

Introduction to Claude CoworkAnthropic Academy

Claude 101Anthropic Academy

Introduction to Agent SkillsAnthropic Academy

In progress

Teaching AI Fluency

AI Capabilities & Limitations

See Dan’s full background

De-risk your investment before or after you write the check.

Your portfolio company went quiet. Here’s what to do before the next check.

When to call

What I actually do

Why trust me

About Dan

Let’s talk for 30 minutes.